Is it ok to keep real butter (not margarine) unrefrigerated?

1 Answer

Our family has always kept our butter refrigerated. It can be left out at room temperature for short periods, but during the heat of the summer, it becomes rancid if left out for too long. It is not advisable to leave butter out of the refrigerator for extended periods. A quick zap in the microwave will soften it for spreading. We never had a problem with that because we always ate whole grain breads which do not shred as easily. Also, if you “shave” cold butter by scraping the top surface with the knife rather than slicing it into pats, it spreads fairly well on most everything except white and so-called soft whole wheat breads. White bread is unhealthy anyway, so if you’re going to insist on eating it, I suppose a little rancid butter isn’t going to do that much more damage.